Mugen's Choice
by Zanza8
Summary: A retelling of Misguided Miscreants with some insight into just why Mugen agreed to work for Mukuro.
1. Prologue

_Koza crept up to the house and peered in the window. Mugen stumbled through the door, swayed, and fell to his knees. He would have pitched forward on his face if the girl, Fuu, hadn't caught him, wrapping her arms around him as she scolded him shrilly for going out. The samurai, Jin, moved in to pick the Ryukyuan up and lay him down on a ragged tatami, and Fuu shook out a blanket and covered him. Koza had seen enough. She turned her back and slid down the wall, resting her face on her knees and letting silent tears fall. She had thought Mugen a worthless pawn in her quest to escape Mukuro, someone to be used and discarded. Seeing him through the eyes of his companions, Koza realized how wrong her assessment of Mugen had been. _


	2. An Unexpected Reunion

It was late afternoon when they reached the ocean, Fuu racing delightedly into the waves and Mugen and Jin following at a more sedate pace. She hiked up her kimono, kicking at the water and shivering. "It's cold!" she called to the two men.

Mugen scowled fiercely to hold back the smile he felt trying to come out. Fuu looked so _cute_ like that-her childlike glee in the water bringing back memories of his own childhood. The only pleasant times he could recall had been playing in the ocean. No one had ever been there to watch him, but he had never come to any harm. Later the ocean had been both friend and ally-a place to retreat to when life became too bitter and an opportunity to escape from the wretched world he had been born into. He sighed, glancing down the beach and seeing Koza, a girl he had grown up with on the Ryukyu Islands. Mugen shook his head-he definitely needed to get something to eat if he was hallucinating people from his past. The girl stood up and approached them.

"Mugen?"

However she came to be there, she seemed real enough and the Ryukyuan was about to respond when a net swirled at them and his reflexes took over. He dove to one side, noting that Jin had also managed to avoid the trap and Fuu had been caught. Figures. She can't even jump out of the way when something's about to land on her. He took up a protective stance in front of her, Jin at his side, both of them with their swords out as a group of yelling men bore down on them. A couple of quick slashes and two of their assailants were face down, bleeding their lives out into the sand.

Koza ran up. "Stop! It's Mugen!" She grabbed one of the men by the arm and he backhanded her, knocking her down and returning to the attack. Then a man's voice boomed over the fray and everybody froze.

Mugen's eyes narrowed as a tall stocky figure came towards them. Like the girl, he wore a shirt with a curious sawtooth pattern-the same pattern on the strap that held Mugen's sword. He bared his teeth-he couldn't really be said to be smiling as he stopped outside the range of the Ryukyuan and the samurai. "Mugen. Long time no see."

Fuu struggled free of the net, her eyes wide as her bodyguard snarled, "What are you doing here, Mukuro?"

The man eyed Fuu, then returned his attention to Mugen. "Lookin' for fighters. See, we go after any strangers-get their money, and anybody strong enough to survive joins us. Ain't that right?" He looked around at his gang and they acquiesced with varying degrees of sullen servility. "And now we got a chance to take a government transport ship carryin' gold. What do you say, Mugen?"

The Ryukyuan sheathed his sword with a swift motion. "I don't work for nobody but myself."

"What about them?" Mukuro gestured to Fuu and Jin. The girl edged behind the samurai, clutching his shoulder.

Mugen shrugged. "I got no commitment to them. I'm just protecting them till they get to Nagasaki."

"You're protectin' them!" Mukuro laughed with genuine amusement. "Now that's funny." He addressed Fuu and Jin. "You two know anythin' about this guy? How bad he is? You want to know how many lives he's taken?"

Mugen ripped out his sword and stopped it an inch from Mukuro's throat. He knew Jin and Fuu didn't believe him innocent, but the thought of his past being aired to his companions by this man he hated was too much for him. He saw Koza out of the corner of his eye and the expression on her face….The Ryukyuan had never been good at reading people, but he thought she looked afraid and he remembered how she depended on Mukuro. Disgusted, he sheathed his sword again and walked away without a word.

"Mugen!" Koza ran after him, Fuu on her heels. Jin looked haughtily at Mukuro as he sheathed his sword, then he followed the others.


	3. Koza's Story

"We all grew up together, Mukuro, Mugen, and me." Koza's voice was very soft and Fuu wondered if Mugen could even hear it as he planted himself on the sand ten feet away. "We were born on a little island in the Ryukyus-it was a place where criminals were sent when they were exiled. It was…." The girl's voice dropped even more. "It was like I imagine hell to be." She fell silent.

Fuu looked at Jin but the samurai seemed to have withdrawn into his own inner world. She didn't know what to say but she had to try. Koza seemed so sad. How could she get the girl's mind off her terrible memories? "We're going to Nagasaki." Fuu was exasperated with herself as soon as the words left her mouth. What a stupid thing to say-why should Koza care what their plans were?

It seemed to do the trick, though. The girl's head went up and she pointed to an island in the distance. "Your best bet would be to take a boat there. They have ships that go to Nagasaki."

Mugen got to his feet. "Guess I'll go see if I can find a boat."

He walked away and Fuu snorted. "What good would it do to take a boat? It'll sink and we'll all drown."

Koza smiled a little. "If Mugen is with you, you'll be all right."

"Does Mugen know how to work a boat?" Fuu sounded surprised and Koza chuckled softly.

"Of course. Didn't he ever tell you? We all grew up knowing how to handle boats." Koza's sadness returned. "But that means Mugen will go away, and I don't want him to go away and leave me with Mukuro." Fuu shivered as the girl's voice took on a venomous intensity. "I hate him. I hate everything about him. He killed my mother and I wish he was dead."

"I can understand you feeling that way," said Fuu hesitantly, "but you don't have to stay with him."

Koza stood up and took a few steps away, her back to Jin and Fuu. "Yes, I do. I could never survive on my own."


	4. What Mugen Cares About

Mugen strolled down the beach, looking at the boats pulled up on the sand. To a casual observer he would have seemed totally relaxed, but there was an unbearable tension in his body and he couldn't stop thinking of the last time he had seen Mukuro and Koza, just before the attack on the Satsuma ship. Just before he had been caught….

_ He was standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, sharks circling below as the soldiers pointed their guns. Did he have any last words? He poured out his scorn on them, amused at the look of shock on their faces. What did they expect him to say? Should he apologize? Beg for mercy? No one had ever done anything for him his whole life-he'd had to take care of himself for as long as he could remember. With that thought in his mind he leaped from the cliff, plunging to his death…._

Mugen shook his head, trying to dispel the memory. He wasn't usually haunted by his past, but seeing the brother and sister brought it back with a painful clarity. He thought he had left it all behind when he left the island-not that he'd had a change of heart about how he wanted to live his life. He was still a thief and had no qualms about killing someone if he thought they were a threat. It was just that being part of a group didn't appeal to him, especially after the way he'd been abandoned to be executed. He hadn't really expected Mukuro to do anything when he was caught, but if the tables had been turned, Mugen would have tried to help him even if it was just to make the authorities madder than they already were. And Koza-she had saved his life, treating the wounds he received in that suicidal leap, but she'd had her reasons. She only got him back on his feet because she wanted him to take her away from her brother. Well, he'd gotten away all right, but on his own terms. Better to just leave everybody he knew behind and live a solitary friendless existence-if there was nobody around, there was nobody to let you down.

The Ryukyuan sighed. He'd had a good workable system until that day in the tea house when he saw Fuu for the first time. It wasn't that he actually _cared_ about Fuu, Mugen reassured himself. It was just that he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. That in itself was beyond strange to him, but it was true. From the first moment he saw her, waiting on obnoxious jerks and avoiding their roving hands, he had felt an urge to protect her. He hadn't been able to admit it even to himself-he had demanded fifty dumplings to get rid of her rough customers, but somewhere in the back of his mind where he was unwilling to look, Mugen felt a need to watch over Fuu. It was the real reason he had gone with her and Jin in the first place. Pretty boy might be all about keeping promises, but Mugen had grown up in a place where a promise wasn't even a word. He knew nothing about making a promise, or keeping one. He only knew what he felt, and somehow that skinny annoying girl made him feel of value. When Fuu looked at him with those shining brown eyes, he felt just as good as everybody else. And that was enough for him to be willing to do anything to keep her safe.

What he had to do now was find a boat, grab Jin and Fuu, and get the hell out of here. He frowned as he examined the small crafts-they were in poor shape and would need to be repaired before he would even think of taking his companions out in one of them.

"Now that's the face I remember." Mugen jumped, startled. Mukuro was leaning against one of the boats, laughing. "You're not foolin' anyone, Mugen. Your soul is as dark as ever."

The Ryukyuan's fists clenched, then relaxed. No way was he going to let Mukuro bait him. "Say what you want, Mukuro-soon as I find something that'll hold us, I'm out of here."

"Us?" Mukuro seemed to roll the word around in his mouth. "Oh, you mean that pasty-faced samurai and his woman." A muscle jerked in Mugen's cheek and Mukuro raised his eyebrows. "Or did I get that wrong? Is she _your_ woman?"

"She doesn't belong to anybody," said Mugen levelly, his heart beating so fast his chest hurt.

"Free and unattached, huh? Maybe I should try her out." Mukuro laughed louder at the look on Mugen's face. "Relax, will you? She'll still be good for something when I'm done with her."

Mugen thought of Mukuro's hands on Fuu and for a moment it seemed as if a red haze descended over his vision. The need to see Mukuro's blood almost overpowered him and he struggled to control himself. If he attacked the man now, even if he won, there was still Mukuro's gang to contend with. And if he lost….

Mugen forced his anger down. "How about a race instead? Winner gets the girl, loser goes to hell."

Mukuro eyed him thoughtfully. "What do you say to teaming up if you lose?"

The Ryukyuan thought frantically. It would take time to repair one of these boats, time to gather provisions….time they would never have with Mukuro breathing down his neck. They could try just walking away, but they'd never make it. Not with all the men Mukuro had with him. Even if Jin and Mugen could fight them all off, Fuu would be in the middle of a battle. The chances of her coming through unscathed were practically nonexistent.

Mugen briefly considered a trade-he would stay and work for Mukuro if Jin and Fuu went free, but he knew that would never work either. The only way they'd get away safely is if they left by boat, and he didn't trust either of them to take a boat out a hundred feet without drowning themselves. He nodded slowly. "I'll team up with you, Mukuro, but you leave those two out of it. You understand?"

"You're goin' soft, Mugen."

The Ryukyuan grinned unpleasantly. "Get the horses and you'll see how soft I am."


	5. A Bad Decision

Jin and Fuu walked down the one narrow street of the village by the sea, disquieted by the silence. It was like a ghost village. "It looks like Mukuro and his men have killed everyone here," said Jin quietly. He stopped in front of a small house in somewhat better repair than any they had seen so far. Motioning Fuu to wait, he ducked inside to check it out, then beckoned her to enter.

Fuu came in and sat down against the wall. "What about the women and children?"

"They would have been the first to die," said Jin tonelessly. "He probably forced the men to fight each other to the death and recruited the survivors."

"I don't want to stay here," Fuu whimpered.

The samurai grimaced. "Neither do I. We should leave in the morning."

A shadow crossed the light and they looked up to see Mugen leaning on the doorjamb. "I'm taking the job."

Fuu gasped. "Mugen, no!"

"We need the cash," he said harshly.

"We can manage. We always have." The girl looked helplessly at the samurai. "Jin, tell him he doesn't have to do this."

Jin's mouth thinned disapprovingly. "I suppose he tried to provoke you and you fell for it."

Mugen stared at his two companions, thinking of how he and Mukuro took horses to the sea cliff and raced them to the edge, the first one drawing on the rein being the loser. Only they both went flat out, sending the horses over the edge and catching at the cliff before they hit the water. They climbed back up, Mukuro laughing about how he and Mugen were cursed men with nowhere to run. Seeing him like that, Mugen knew there was no way Mukuro was ever going to let them go, but maybe if he got what he wanted….The Ryukyuan suddenly thought he could tell Jin and Fuu how matters really stood. Maybe they would see a way out he hadn't thought of? He shook his head angrily-he had always handled his own problems. Maybe this one was a little tougher because he actually had to take other people's lives into account, but he could deal with it. "I just changed my mind, that's all."

Jin's face closed. "As you wish."

The Ryukyuan snarled, "Don't think you guys are going to change my mind either!" He stalked off, ignoring the sound of Fuu chasing after him, crying out his name.


	6. The Plan

Mugen strode into the small house Mukuro had taken over, his nerves on edge as the man looked up at him with a complacent expression. "I'll do the job, but then I never want to see your ugly face again, Mukuro. You got that?"

Mukuro nodded, smirking. His men were gathered around him and Mugen dropped to the floor opposite him as he began to talk. "The target is a government transport ship carryin' 60,000 ryō in gold coins. It's already set sail and is currently en route from Osaka to Edo. It's due to dock at our harbor tonight to pick up supplies-fresh food and water."

Mugen narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Just where is all this information coming from?"

Mukuro grinned. "I have a connection on the ship. I'll have myself delivered in a water barrel. Once I'm on board, I'll set off a bomb as a diversion. That's where you come in, Mugen. You'll have my ship-you attack from the side with the rest of the men. Then you board, we kill the crew, take the gold, blow up the ship. Simple, ain't it?"

The rest of the men were fidgeting and whispering among themselves. One spoke up. "I don't know about this, boss. Attacking a government ship….and tonight isn't a lot of time to prepare…."

"It has to be tonight." Mukuro's hand bunched into a fist. "Tonight will be perfect-the dark of the moon and it's going to rain. They'll never see us coming."

"Rain!" The men looked surprised. "It's clear outside. Are you sure it's going to rain?"

"Oh, yeah." Mugen was the one who answered and they fell silent in the face of his confidence. "I can smell it."


	7. Waiting on the Beach

Mugen left the conference and walked softly back to the house Jin and Fuu had taken over, peering in the window and taking care they didn't see him. The samurai was sharpening his sword and the girl was still sitting against the wall, petting that furry little rat thing she carried around in her kimono. She sighed and looked up at the window and Mugen took a step back. "The wind is picking up." Jin checked the edge of his blade and poured a little more oil on the whetstone and Fuu raised her voice. "Do you think Mugen will be okay?"

The samurai moved his blade over the stone with rather more vigor than was called for, but his voice was quiet enough. "He has made his choice."

Mugen's jaw tightened and he backed away. He halfway thought of going inside, but he could tell how it would be if he did. Fuu would whine and nag, and when she got going it was like there was some inexhaustible store of energy fueling her. True, it would only be because she was worried about him, but he couldn't take it. And he knew he wouldn't be able to stand Jin's silence either-the samurai would condemn him without ever saying a word. If they only knew….Once more the thought of just telling them everything recurred to the Ryukyuan, but the habit of relying only on himself was too strong for him and he finally strode off swiftly into the dark.

He found himself on the beach and lay on the sand, linking his hands behind his head and looking up at the stars. It wouldn't be long now anyway-Mukuro wanted to see him in about an hour, and once they got started it would be over pretty quick. Too bad about the crew on the government ship, but Mugen wasn't about to worry about a bunch of strangers when his own life was on the line.

He heard footsteps and glanced in their direction, rolling his eyes as Koza walked up. She sat next to him, her arms around her knees, and looked up at the sky. "Do you remember the night we looked at the stars? You said if we were looking down from there, nobody here would look bigger than a grain of sand."

Mugen remembered that night perfectly. They had been sitting there minding their own business and Mukuro had come up to them with a plan to pirate a Satsuma ship carrying raw sugar. Much though Mugen hated Mukuro, the promise of easy money with so much excitement had lured him in. They were supposed to take the ship and get off the island, but Mugen had been caught. Caught and taken to the cliff to be shot. He didn't think he would forget that night in the unlikely event that he lived to be a hundred, but it was an ugly memory and now he growled, "It's not ringing any bells."

Koza's eyes filled with tears. "I wonder what our lives would have been like if we had been born someplace else. Someplace normal." Mugen remained stubbornly silent and she whispered, "Are you happy?"

He closed his eyes. "I can't say I've given it much thought."

"Fuu is lucky." That did get his attention and he stared at her as she went on in her soft voice. "She gets to be with you." He averted his eyes as she bent over him, running her hands over his chest. "I want to be with you too, Mugen. I want to get away from this place-I want to leave with you."

The Ryukyuan was at a loss. He didn't care about Koza, but he did have a vague sense of kinship with her. She had grown up with him on that prison island, and she had not been an enemy like her brother. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he didn't want her to be confused either. One annoying girl was Mugen's limit, and he had _never_ felt protective of Koza like he did with Fuu. The conflict between his usual wild impulses and that small still voice telling him to keep Fuu safe might make him irritable around the girl, and gripe and curse at her, and tease her to tears, but when all was said and done, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to Fuu and he didn't really care what happened to Koza. She had Mukuro, and no right to try and force her way into his life.

He sat up, pushing her off, then got to his feet. "Sorry, but if you want to get out of here, I'm the wrong guy for that job." He walked away, the rain starting, and Koza watched him go, thinking of Mukuro earlier that evening….

_"I'm taking everybody out when the job is done-it'll be you and me, just like it's always been."_

_ Koza stared at him, hating everything about him. "What about Mugen?"_

_ He put his hand under her chin, turning her face up and looking deeply in her eyes, and she nodded slowly. Mukuro walked away and Koza watched him go, already thinking of what she could do to win her freedom…._

Koza got to her feet and headed for the little house Mugen's companions were staying at.


	8. Betrayal

Mugen worked the tiller of Mukuro's ship, the men milling about him as the rain poured down. Much though he hated to admit Mukuro could do anything right, everything seemed to be coming together just as he had planned. He would have been delivered to the government ship by now and the darkness and the rain were a perfect cover. All they had to do now was get a little closer, then slack off till the explosion signaled the attack….

There it was! Mugen didn't see any flashes, but there was no mistaking that loud boom. "All right, let's go!" He pulled the tiller, driving the pirate boat right into the side of the ship. The men rushed ahead, only to pull back in shock. The government ship was lit up and the crew, far from being confused by the sudden attack, were ready and waiting for it. "What the hell happened?" snarled Mugen.

An officer whirled a fighting iron. "These low-lifes have no respect for authority. Teach them a lesson, men!"

The government crew poured onto the pirate ship and Mugen backed up, drawing his sword and taking out the first man to approach him as he tried to process what had happened. They were supposed to have been blown up! He'd heard the explosion-what had gone wrong? A burning ember fell by him and he looked up to see the sails on fire as three more men attacked him. A brutal kick to the stomach of one with his steel-lined geta, a hard slash to the chest of the next, and he was grappling with the third when he heard gunshots. Mukuro had just shot the last of the government crew in the back and now he tipped a lit barrel of dynamite onto the deck of his own ship. Mugen swore violently as he dove out of the way, then bounced to his feet. Mukuro pulled the government ship away from the doomed boat, smiling widely as Mugen hurled curses at him.


	9. The Warning

Jin and Fuu sat in the little house in a morose silence that made it easy to hear the running feet approaching them. Koza hurried through the door, dropping to her knees and gasping for breath. "Please, you've got to help him! He's going to die." Tears ran down her face.

Fuu knelt by her and took her arm. "What do you mean?"

"Mugen," whispered the girl.

Jin stood up, setting his swords in his belt. "So it was a trap."

Koza nodded miserably and the three of them set out for the dock, gazing in horror at the burning ship visible for miles. "It's the pirate ship!" whimpered Koza.

"Who's on that ship?" Fuu grabbed her and shook her. "Koza, who..."

Koza pulled away from Fuu, her hand to her mouth. "Mugen."

There was a tremendous explosion and the air seemed to quiver around them. Koza sank down, sobbing as if her heart was broken, while Jin stared in shock at the fire melting away into the water as the ship sank. Then Fuu screamed.

"NO! MUGEN!"

She started to run down to the water and Jin seized her. "Calm yourself!"

She fought him violently and the samurai's heart constricted. He couldn't say when he had come to love Fuu as a sister, but an affection as strong and true in its way as his feeling for Shino had sprung up in his heart and he couldn't bear to see her in such pain. Did she really love Mugen so much? How could he not have seen it? Then again, he was not well-versed in love. Oh, he had known about brothels and the pleasures of the flesh for years, but love was not something he had ever experienced until he met Shino. That sweet gentle woman, who helped him at the grilled eel stand and talked calmly of going into a brothel to pay her husband's debts, who shared a night with him and finally stood up to her worthless husband, and even now waited for him….Was it possible that the wild Ryukyuan had inspired the kind of feeling in Fuu that Jin had for Shino? He supposed it was, and as he realized what Mugen's loss was going to mean to Fuu, a terrible sorrow closed over him. "You must calm down, Fuu."

She heard the pain in his flat voice and clutched at him, shivering as the last of the flames was quenched. Then there was nothing but the sound of the rain and Koza's sobs.


	10. A Thirst for Vengeance

They left Fuu curled up in a ball in the little house, clutching Momo with blank eyes as she obediently tried to rest. Koza led Jin back to the dock, staring out at the water as the sun came up. "It's just like the last time," said the girl in her soft voice. "Mukuro betrayed Mugen and left him to die and now he's done it again." Her small hands clenched into fists. "It's his fault Mugen is dead." She met Jin's eyes and her own had an unsettling intensity. "I want him avenged. I want you to kill Mukuro."

Jin stared back. There was something strange about this girl-something belied by her soft voice and tender eyes and quietness. Then he sighed. Was it only last night that Mugen had died and he had realized for the first time how much Fuu loved him? Obviously he wasn't good at reading women-Koza was just upset at Mugen's death, and she had already said she hated her brother. What could be more natural than her wish to ease her pain by punishing the man who had caused it? "Do you know where your brother is?"

She nodded, and he couldn't believe he saw triumph in her eyes. Inclining his head, he turned away.


	11. Finding Mugen

Fuu walked slowly down the beach. Jin was going to be angry when he returned to the little house and found her gone after he specifically told her to rest, but she couldn't bear one more minute in that place. She kept seeing Mugen for the last time, hearing his hard voice saying he wouldn't change his mind as he walked away forever, and she couldn't forget the hunted look in his eyes. Why had he taken such a dangerous job with a man he hated? It couldn't have been the money-they had been broke their entire journey and it had never bothered any of them before. There was something else-something she would never know and never stop wondering about.

Fuu heard a strange sound and looked down the beach to see a man backing away from something, blubbering in fear. She hurried to his side as he fell to his knees. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He pointed in horror. "There's a dead body!"

She looked over and saw a familiar form dressed in black shorts and red jacket, tangled in a fishing net. "Mugen!" She fell to her knees, leaning on her hands, tears as endless as the ocean pouring out of her. "Oh, Mugen, why? Why did you have to die?" There was a harsh choking sound and she gulped and looked up. Mugen's body convulsed as he threw up the water he had swallowed and Fuu crawled over to him, a sudden hope in her heart. "Mugen?"

He shuddered and drew in a ragged breath, his eyes rolling up in his head, and she spun around. "You!" The man who had found Mugen was still there and he jumped at the tone of her voice. "Help me get him back to my house!"


	12. Blood and Gold

Mukuro transferred the last chest to the little cave hidden under the sea cliff and nodded in satisfaction. "That'll do it, Shiren. You did a good job last night."

The young man in the rowboat smiled. "It wasn't hard-nobody on the ship ever suspected me. All I had to do was stand drinks whenever we came in port and I was everybody's best friend."

"Yeah, well, just remember this hidin' place is _our_ little secret. Even Koza don't know 'bout it." Shiren looked surprised and Mukuro grinned. "You got a problem with that?"

"No." Shiren smiled back. "I'm in this for the money, not your sister."

Mukuro laughed and jumped in the boat, taking it out and back to his dock in a small hidden inlet. The two men tied it up, then headed up the hill to the small hut Mukuro and Koza were staying at.

Shiren looked at the desolate appearance of the place and frowned. "Where's Koza?"

The bigger man shrugged. "I don't keep track of her. Don't worry 'bout it-she'll be here."

Shiren nodded slowly. "Guess I'll go inside then."

"You do that," said Mukuro agreeably. He sat on the porch and took out his knife, smirking as the door closed behind him. Too bad he needed the help hiding the gold, but he could take care of this guy later. Then it would be just him and Koza. He licked his lips absently, running his finger down the edge of his blade, then saw Koza approaching, her eyes enormous in her pale face. "'Bout time you showed up. Shiren's waitin' for you."

She gazed at him for a moment, then walked softly past, going inside and shutting the door. Mukuro returned his attention to his knife, sneering as he saw Jin walk up. "How'd you know about this place?" He threw a quick glance over his shoulder at the closed door, nodding slowly.

The samurai drew his sword. "I was the one who was supposed to kill him."

Mukuro laughed and drew his gun, firing two shots as Jin lunged at him. His jaw dropped as they both missed and the samurai's sword cut a deep groove across his chest. He got off one more shot as Jin drew back and impaled him. "I can't believe I fell for it." Jin frowned and pulled his sword free as Mukuro dropped his gun. "But I guess we both did, huh, samurai?" He coughed up blood and died.


	13. A Long Day

Fuu stripped off Mugen's clothes, her cheeks reddening as she saw that he wasn't wearing anything under his shorts. She grabbed a blanket and threw it over him, then bundled his wet things together and took them outside. She took her time hanging them up, trying to get over her embarrassment. It wasn't like she didn't know what he looked like. Living as they did with his disregard for modesty, she had seen him a few times. But those had been quick glimpses from a distance. She hadn't been touching him.

Fuu frowned, then suddenly whirled and ran into the house, pressing a soft hand to Mugen's forehead. Tears came to her eyes as she felt how hot his skin was. Fever. The only thing she knew about fever was that you go to the doctor and get medicine for it. She drew the blanket off, any embarrassment completely forgotten as she examined Mugen to see what other damage he had sustained. His arms and legs and face were scored with dozens of small cuts where he had gotten hit by pieces of the exploding ship-his clothing had protected the rest of his body, but he moaned and twitched fitfully as she gently felt all over to see if he had any broken bones. Thankfully everything seemed to be intact, but she wondered if his insides were hurt from the shock of the explosion. She tucked the blanket around him, sitting back and wondering helplessly what she could do for him. Her eyes fell on a small bucket in the corner and she went to get it, going outside to a small well a few feet up the street. Filling it with cool water, she returned to Mugen, dipping a cloth in the water and wiping his face. He shivered, but she kept going, hoping that at least his temperature might come down.

Fuu sat by Mugen for the rest of the day, bathing him and replenishing the bucket when the water ran low. As the shadows lengthened he finally seemed a little cooler, and she allowed herself to hope that he was getting better. Now her concern for Jin grew stronger and she fumed, "Where could he be? Mugen's back, but Jin and Koza are missing." She wiped Mugen's face again, noting wearily that she needed more water. She got to her feet and froze at a touch on her arm. Turning slowly and looking down, she saw Mugen's hard brown hand circling her soft white wrist. Her eyes flew to his face.

His eyes were closed but his lips were moving in an effort to speak and Fuu bent over him. "What is it? Mugen? Can you hear me?"

He swallowed hard, then made another effort. "I'm….really….hungry."

Fuu stiffened in outrage. Mugen had to be the only man in the world who could have an appetite after getting blown up. Then she felt how weak his grip on her wrist was and saw the gray tinge under his copper skin and her annoyance died. "I'll see if I can scrounge something up for you," she said gently.

He sighed and released her arm, his eyes still closed, and she hesitated, then walked away. He heard her go, then slowly opened his eyes, confused by the images that had been swirling through his mind. _The Crow Men-had they really come for him or was that a memory from another time? Darkness and water and birds and the woods he had staggered into after his leap from the cliff, blood pouring from his shoulder where a bullet had caught him. Collapsing to wake with his shoulder bandaged and Koza looking down at him. A burning hut and Mukuro sneering at him. Jin saying they should leave, and Fuu….her shining brown eyes…._

At the thought of Fuu, his head abruptly cleared and he remembered the attack on the government ship and Mukuro's betrayal. How long had he lain here? He was dimly aware that Fuu had been with him, but Mukuro was still around somewhere. No need to worry about his gang now-he'd killed them all. Mugen sat up slowly, gasping with pain, but a dark smile flitted across his face. It was his lucky day-he could protect Fuu _and_ settle the score with Mukuro. All he had to do now was find him.


	14. Comparing Notes

Jin made his way dejectedly along the beach. He'd been poking around all day, reluctant to return to the little house to face Fuu's grief. He had killed Mukuro, but the one really responsible for Mugen's death was that girl, Koza. He would have killed her too, but she had disappeared while he faced her brother. How could he have been so blind? She had planned the whole thing-setting up Mugen to die, setting up her brother to take the blame, setting up Jin to strike the fatal blow. Setting up Fuu to lose the man she loved. True, Jin and Mugen had been planning to kill each other, but that was at some distant point in the future, not in the present from which there was no escape. He sighed, looking up to see Mugen's ghost approaching him.

Jin didn't know a lot about ghosts, but he was taken aback to see that it looked so…._solid._ He wasn't surprised that Mugen's ghost was ragged, oozing blood from small cuts all over its face and arms and legs, but he did wonder why it was dragging itself along, leaning heavily on a sword for support. Didn't such beings have more efficient methods of locomotion? He stopped, pondering why Mugen's ghost would appear to him of all people, and the apparition smirked.

"What, you thought I'd die before I killed you?" The Ryukyuan seemed to know exactly what had been going through Jin's mind and now he scowled. "I'm going to put an end to this thing once and for all."

Mugen was alive and Jin couldn't even begin to process his feelings. A combination of relief at his survival and happiness for Fuu contended with dread at the thought of the unfinished business between the Ryukyuan and himself. Could he really try to kill this man, knowing that his loss would devastate the girl who had become a sister? Could he back out with any honor, knowing that Mugen's pride would never let him forego the fight? The samurai shook himself-now was not the time to try sorting out this tangled web of emotion. "Mukuro is dead. I killed him."

Mugen snarled, "That was for me to do!"

"I was deceived. We all were, including Mukuro-by his sister."

The Ryukyuan's eyes widened at the level statement. He had never thought Jin had a sense of humor, let alone the kind that would make a sick joke like this. Little Koza, responsible for all the suffering and death and betrayal? He didn't have any illusions about her feeling for her brother-he'd probably have been doing her a favor by killing him….A favor. Mugen was not an educated man, but he was not stupid. He was actually a lot smarter than people gave him credit for and he was thinking even under the fury that was driving him. He remembered how Koza had begged him to take her away after he recovered from his near execution, and he thought of the look in her eyes when he walked away on the beach. He had always known Mukuro had no secrets from her, and he had sometimes wondered at her dependence on the man when she hated him so much. As Mugen pondered Koza's need for her brother and her desire to get away from him, it all fell into place. Heartless. She was completely heartless, and the fleeting thought that Fuu would not even have been capable of thinking of such a plan, much less putting it into effect, crossed his mind and gave him a small sense of pride in himself. Maybe he wasn't so bad at reading people after all-rejecting Koza and following Fuu.

Jin was silent, giving Mugen time to work through what he had said. When the Ryukyuan nodded, the samurai murmured, "This is one opponent I cannot kill."

"Because she's a woman?" Mugen shook his head disgustedly.

The samurai regarded his companion soberly. "Because it's your right."


	15. Confrontation

Shiren smiled as Koza ran up to him and took his arm. "Do you think we did the right thing?" she asked demurely.

"Of course." He bent his head and kissed her. "You wanted to be free of Mukuro, didn't you?" He looked at her suspiciously. "You're not having second thoughts about that scruffy pirate, are you?"

She laughed merrily. "No. I used to think Mugen might take me away from my brother-anything would have been better than Mukuro. But I never cared about him." A darkness came and went in her eyes. "I saved his life and he still wouldn't help me. He deserved to die, just like Mukuro. I almost told him when he decided to leave without me that Mukuro left him deliberately to get caught that first time. I would have liked to see them kill each other, but then I would have been alone."

Shiren looked at her thoughtfully. "Remind me never to get you mad."

She gazed up at him. "I could never be mad at you, Shiren. Promise you'll never leave me."

"I won't." He started walking, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder. "And once the heat dies down, I'll show you where the gold is hidden." He gave her a quick squeeze. "Sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine." She took a deep breath, savoring the sea breeze and wondering how soon he would take her to the money. She couldn't ask him-she didn't want him to think she cared more about the gold than him. And he was nice-somebody she could depend on for as long as she wanted him. "I couldn't live like that anymore. Mukuro controlled me my whole life-now it's just you and me." She smiled at him. "I'm so happy."

His body tensed and she saw his eyes fix on something ahead of them. Koza's hands flew to her mouth, stifling a scream as she saw Mugen coming towards them. He was bloodied and weaving from side to side, leaning on his sword, but there was a terrible inexorableness in the way he moved and Shiren pushed her aside and ran at the Ryukyuan, drawing his sword.

Weak as he was, Mugen's reflexes still far outmatched the government official's and his sword was out and thrusting through the man almost before he knew what he was doing. He freed the blade with a quick jerk, wondering if he would be able to catch Koza in his current condition or if he would have to wait to hunt her down later.

He rested for a moment on his scabbard, catching his breath, then raised his head to see her staring at him, her face white. Mugen started slowly towards her. _She needed killing worse than anyone he had ever known-if she wanted to stand there while he skewered her that was fine with him. _The Ryukyuan didn't stop, but his mind continued to work as he made his painful way towards the girl. _Why didn't she run? She had to know he could never catch her like this. She had what she wanted-Mukuro was dead, and there was no way she was broken-hearted over the guy he'd just killed. With all that gold she'd have no problems-she could have her pick of guys._ Mugen had almost reached Koza when the truth hit him. _She didn't know where the gold was! Mukuro had taken the secret of its hiding place to the grave. Maybe the dead guy had known-sure, that's why she was hanging on him, but he hadn't told her either. _

Koza saw Mugen's searing rage as he came up to her and she gasped and closed her eyes, waiting to feel that bloody sword putting an end to her misery. She clenched her fists as she heard his hoarse breathing and uneven footsteps so close to her. So close-her eyes popped open. Mugen was walking past her, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "No! Mugen!" She dropped to her knees, sobbing hysterically. "Please! Please kill me!"

The Ryukyuan smiled to himself, consumed by darkness. It would have been so easy to kill her. So easy, and so wrong. He didn't want her blood on his blade-he wanted her to live, all alone in this lonely place without a cent. He hoped she lived a long, long time, tortured by the thought of the lost gold and the lives she had sacrificed for nothing.


	16. Epilogue

_Koza crept up to the house and peered in the window. Mugen stumbled through the door, swayed, and fell to his knees. He would have pitched forward on his face if the girl, Fuu, hadn't caught him, wrapping her arms around him as she scolded him shrilly for going out. The samurai, Jin, moved in to pick the Ryukyuan up and lay him down on a ragged tatami, and Fuu shook out a blanket and covered him. Koza had seen enough. She turned her back and slid down the wall, resting her face on her knees and letting silent tears fall. She had thought Mugen a worthless pawn in her quest to escape Mukuro, someone to be used and discarded. Seeing him through the eyes of his companions, Koza realized how wrong her assessment of Mugen had been. _

_She shivered in the cold night air until her emotions were spent and her tears dried up in the dark time before the dawn. Then she got to her feet and set out without another look at the little house or the people inside, walking down to the beach and into the sea._


End file.
